51: Escape From New York (1981)

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Over the years, when I see political unrest and public disruption of what is perceived as a broken system, I inevitably wonder what director John Carpenter might be thinking about the state of affairs.  Aside from being legendary as perhaps the founding father of the slasher genre for his creation of the Halloween franchise and the ubiquitous horror icon Michael Myers, not to mention the cosmic horrors of The Thing, he also wrote and produced films with an unmistakable focus on class and justice.  We first see this in his early film Assault On Precinct 13, but it really blooms into a considerably more ambitious world with Escape From New York.  Additionally, while by 2020 standards characters of color in his films can be scoffed at as being relegated to "token" rolls and side characters, I think it's important to acknowledge that in a time when Hollywood was largely at BEST shoehorning actors of color into tiny rolls, John Carpenter appeared to be giving thought to this dynamic, and writing characters intended to at least give the actors filling those minor rolls reason to be in the film.  Their very presence spoke to the inequities in the system in a meaningful way.  It wasn't much, perhaps, but it was something, and I think it was something he gave real thought and emotion to. Indeed, by 1988 when Escape From New York was set, Ronald Reagan's America hadn't reached the level of authoritarian desperation portrayed in the film, yet seeing the protests in the streets in the year 2020 suggests to me that John Carpenter was on to something with his vision of an America headed towards a more profound feeling of separation between "polite society" and those who were deemed unfit to be a part of that society.  Manhattan is currently trying to recover from being the literal epicenter of a global pandemic, and people do feel they're being targeted in the streets by an overbearing and too often lethal police force who appear intent on making it clear that they do have a sense of who does and doesn't belong.  The idea was shocking and disturbing in 1981, and for many of us, it's no less bewildering and horrific today.  The island hasn't become a penal colony, but it's clear to many of us that the fear and bewilderment of the police and prison systems as they do exist are such a dark specter in the lives of people who come into or even near contact with it carry an indelible anxiety with them in their daily lives, and I believe John Carpenter was tapping into that fear with his films.   Maybe I'm reading too much into things, and if that's the case I apologize.  But maybe, just maybe, it's time to dig deep and make the difficult decision that we can do better.  For a lot of us, dystopia is a phantom to be feared for it's looming presence on the horizon, but for many it's a considerable reality in their day to day affairs.  That's not only problematic, it's a moral injustice that needs to be addressed by all of us.     Love and Respect,   Shonny Constant 6.10.2020     If you've read all this and you're on Facebook, PLEASE join us at our Group to discuss the movie and share your horror love.  We REALLY want to hear from you.  We REALLY REALLY do!     Talk Horror To Me Facebook Group       And here's a bunch of other links!    Instagram @TalkHorrorShow @Shonny.Constant   Twitter @ChzuckBean   Old Man Plays Old Games on Twitch @Chzuck     Cover art for this episode by Crystal Mielcarek!  Find more of her work on Facebook, Instagram, or Smushbox.net. SHE IS THE BEST!